The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : “They Have This Conscience Thing”

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The Spectacle Blog

“They Have This Conscience Thing”

By Joseph Lawler on 11.22.11 @ 11:20AM

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is at it again, bashing Catholics for their pro-life position when she has promoted abortion in defiance of Catholic Church teaching at every turn.

This time, Pelosi is upset that the nation's Catholic bishops are protesting a potential Obama administration decision forcing insurance companies to cover birth control, contraception and drugs that could cause abortions. They say certain religious groups may not be exempt from providing the insurance, which would violate their moral and religious views.

Pelosi says the position is akin to having hospitals "say to a woman, ‘I'm sorry you could die' if you don't get an abortion," she told the Washington Post.

"Those who dispute that characterization "may not like the language,'' she said, "but the truth is what I said. I'm a devout Catholic and I honor my faith and love it . . . but they have this conscience thing" that the Post said Pelosi "insists put women at physical risk, although Catholic providers strongly disagree." [Emphasis added.]

Catholics, like adherents of other faiths, populate both sides of the aisle. And both sides have members who, in good faith, violate the Church's strictures in one way or another. What's unusual about Pelosi is that she is not only, unquestionably, on the wrong side of the Church's teachings about abortion, but she has outright contempt for her supposed co-religionists who have it right. By "this conscience thing," Pelosi means "a desire not to be forced to violate their core beliefs as Catholics."

Here's the question: why does she bother to keep up the pretense that she is a "devout Catholic"?

View all comments (9) | Leave a comment

Ken (Old Texican)| 11.22.11 @ 11:58AM

Does this mean she is actually a devout "protestant"?

W| 11.22.11 @ 12:02PM

Pelosi is a fraud. She is not a devout Catholic or any other type of Christian if she believes in abortion on demand, and more so, if she wants to impose her belief in abortion upon demand upon any person who opposes abortion.

Pelosi is a member of the Religion of the Ruling Class. Their creed states they know what is best for us and we have to accept it. The also beleive in making as much money as possible in their positions in the Ruling Class, such as using their insider knowledge on legislation to buy/sell stocks and land.

These members , such as Pelosi, Biden, Barney Frank, Chuckie Schumer, Harry Reid,etc may be nominal Jews, Catholics, Baptists, Episcopelians, Mormon, and other denominations. But their primary overriding believe is belief in government, and not the individual.

Ken (Old Texican)| 11.22.11 @ 12:11PM

By the way...
we Baptists don't consider ourselves "protestants".

We have been around since Jesus arose from the dead...with TWO doctrines that have never wavered...even though it cost many of our fore fathers pretty gruesome death.

1. An "adult" commitment to follow Jesus as Savior.
2. The priesthood of each believer...with rights, and responsibilities for ourselves and those of our acquaintance.

Out of those two doctrines.....yeah we believe in dunking new believers as we believe Jesus was dunked. (smile) as the symbol of being buried with Him.
Happy Thanksgiving, folks.

JohnD| 11.22.11 @ 1:59PM

As a Roman Catholic, I have no problem with Baptists, I just think they don't hold them under long enough. . .

I am just kidding.

W| 11.22.11 @ 2:31PM

Careful, Obama may ban this as waterboarding.

WB| 11.22.11 @ 12:25PM

Uh, yes, it's called a "conscience." Something (among the many, many things) she apparently can't comprehend ...

Wlady| 11.22.11 @ 1:16PM

They don't call her "Princess Nancy" for nothing.

ncatty| 11.22.11 @ 1:46PM

She likes th form of religion but denies its substance.

Brooksanne| 11.23.11 @ 3:34PM

All true, plus she's wrong about the medical facts. It may happen that doctors would not be able to save both mother and child. Life is sometimes that way. But it is never necessary intentionally to kill one person to save another.